Azasan News

THURSDAY, Nov. 12, 2015 – Kidney failure and having a kidney transplant may increase the risk for certain types of cancer, a new study suggests. Poor kidney function and immune system-suppressing drugs may be behind this increased risk, according to Elizabeth Yanik, of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and colleagues. For the study, published in the Nov. 12 online edition of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the researchers looked at data from more than 200,000 U.S. kidney transplant candidates and recipients. Along with finding that these patients are at increased risk for certain types of cancer, the investigators also identified clear patterns of risk associated with different types of treatment. However, the associations seen in the study do not prove cause-and-effect. The risk of kidney and thyroid cancers was especially high when kidney failure patients were on ... Read more

TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 – Genetic variations may hold clues to rheumatoid arthritis – suggesting not only who will develop the painful condition, but also predicting its severity and even who might die from it, a new study says. "Genetic factors predisposing to disease, to disease severity, and response to treatment will allow tailoring treatment to individual patients' needs," said lead researcher Dr. Sebastien Viatte, a research fellow at the University of Manchester in England. Using data from several sources on thousands of patients in the United Kingdom, researchers found that gene mutations at a location on a chromosome called HLA-DRBl were associated with rheumatoid arthritis severity and the response to treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor drugs. This study, Viatte said, is a potentially important first step toward personalized medicine for patients with the ... Read more

TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 – Arthritis medications known as biologic disease-modifying drugs can cost Medicare patients more than $2,700 in co-payments a year, a new report finds. Researchers say the tab is an immense burden on patients with disabling conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic disorder that affects an estimated 1.3 million Americans. Biologic anti-rheumatic medications – which include drugs such as adalimumab (Humira), anakinra (Kineret) and etanercept (Enbrel) – have allowed patients to gain better control of rheumatoid arthritis when taken early in the course of disease, the researchers explained. But some of the new drugs top $20,000 annually, according to the April 21 online report in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatology. "Many patients face a growing and unacceptable financial burden for access to treatment," said study lead author Dr. Jinoos Yazdany of the ... Read more

THURSDAY, May 3 – When diagnosed with lupus, one in three people already has kidney inflammation, and during the first 10 years with the disease as many as 60 percent of patients will have some kidney problems. Because kidney inflammation (also called lupus nephritis) is so common in people with lupus, the American College of Rheumatology has issued new guidelines for the screening and management of this potentially devastating complication of lupus. "Without treatment, lupus nephritis can lead to end-stage-renal disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. But, not all types are this serious. It depends on the pattern of damage to the kidneys," said the lead author of the new guidelines, Dr. Bevra Hahn, a professor of medicine and chief of rheumatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hahn said the course of lupus ... Read more

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16 – A newer immune-suppressing drug called mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept) is better at controlling a serious kidney complication from lupus than another commonly used therapy, a new study suggests. People taking mycophenolate were about half as likely to progress to treatment failure as were people taking azathioprine (Imuran), according to the researchers. "This study was looking at maintenance therapy for people with lupus nephritis. Was the older drug azathioprine similar or better to the newer drug mycophenolate mofetil [MMF]? We found that MMF was better overwhelmingly," said study author Dr. Mary Anne Dooley, an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "There were fewer flares of recurrent nephritis in the group receiving MMF, and more people on MMF went into complete remission. All of the parameters we looked at were ... Read more

[Posted 04/14/2011] ISSUE: FDA continues to receive reports of a rare cancer of white blood cells (known as Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma or HSTCL, primarily in adolescents and young adults being treated for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis with medicines known as tumor necrosis factors (TNF) blockers, as well as with azathioprine, and/or mercaptopurine. TNF blockers include Remicade (infliximab), Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) and Simponi (golimumab). BACKGROUND: HSTCL is an aggressive (fast-growing) cancer and is usually fatal. The majority of cases reported were in patients being treated for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, but also included a patient being treated for psoriasis and two patients being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. FDA is now updating the number of reported cases of HSTCL. Although most reported cases of HSTCL oc ... Read more

MONDAY, Nov. 8 – New research suggests that a newer drug works no better than an older, cheaper medication for patients who need long-term treatment for a type of vasculitis, a rare blood vessel disorder. The older drug, azathioprine, "beat out the new kid on the block," said Dr. Ronald Falk, a kidney specialist familiar with the findings. But that's not necessarily good news because relapses and serious side effects are common over time. Vasculitis strikes about one in every 100,000 people, Falk said. An overly aggressive response by the immune system causes the blood vessels of the body to swell, creating problems in the kidneys and lungs. Azathioprine (Azasan) is currently used for long-term treatment of patients with a form of the disease known as antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. The new study compares the drug to another medication, mycophenolate mofetil ... Read more

MONDAY, Oct. 19 – The use of thiopurine drugs to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of cancers related to viral infection, according to a new study. IBD includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Thiopurine drugs are used to suppress the immune system in order to maintain remission in IBD patients. For this study, French researchers analyzed data on 19,486 IBD patients (60 percent with Crohn's and 40 percent with ulcerative colitis or unclassified IBD) who were followed for a median of 35 months. At the start of the study, 30 percent of patients were taking thiopurines, 14 percent had discontinued them, and 56 percent had never received thiopurines. During the study, 23 patients developed malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LD) – cancers that are associated with viral infection, particularly those linked to Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection. Of the ... Read more

MONDAY, Oct. 26 – Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who are being treated with immunosuppressive medications may be at increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, a new U.S. study says. Researchers analyzed data on 26,403 Crohn's disease patients and 26,974 patients with ulcerative colitis in order to evaluate how the use of immunosuppressive and biologic medications to treat IBD affected non-melanoma skin cancer risk. The study found that the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer was higher in IBD patients than in a control group. Recent use (within 90 days) of any immunosuppressive medication was associated with greater risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (adjusted odds ratio 3.28), as was recent use of the thiopurine class of immunosuppressive medications (adjusted odds ratio 3.56) and recent use of biologic medications in Crohn's disease patients (adjusted odds ratio 2.07). ... Read more

[Posted 07/13/2006] Roxane Laboratories and FDA notified pharmacists and other healthcare professionals of a nationwide recall of a single manufacturing lot of Azathioprine tablets, 50 mg (Lot 558470A, Exp Mar 2009) used to help prevent rejection in kidney transplant patients, and to manage severe rheumatoid arthritis. The recall was initiated due to concerns that bottles from this single lot # 558470A, labeled as Azathioprine may contain Methotrexate, 2.5 mg tablets. Information has been sent to pharmacists alerting them of the details pertaining to this recall. Pharmacists who may have dispensed Azathioprine tablets to patients from manufacturing lot 558470A are instructed to contact those patients to assure they did not inadvertently receive Methotrexate tablets. [July 13, 2006 &ndash; Press Release &ndash; Roxane] Read more